Foot-propelled juvenile automobile



Feb. 22, 1927.

J. A. BRIED FOOT PROPELLED JUVENILE AUTOMOBILE Filed April 1925 W Patented Feb- 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JULIEN A. BREED, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

- FOOT PROPELLED JUVENILE AUTOMOBILE.

Application filed April 30,,1925. 'Serial N0. 27,028. r

with its feet caught in the treadles, as coin-v monly now experienced.

, Before describing my invention, it-will be better to draw attention to the fact that as far as can be observed all of the foot power automobiles as used by children on-the city side-walks are of one type only,-they have a two sided body including a seat, and. be-. tween the sides, under the body theyhave the old and well known girls tricycle treadle drive connected to a .pair of'cranks on the rear axle.

This construction implies that when such a vehicle upsets, as is often the case, the childs feet being within the'body on skeleton treadles, get tangled up with the treadle members in its effort to save itself, with the result that if it cannot extricate itself in time, it receives a bad injury in the upset, which likely as not is over the curb into the gutter.

From the construction outlined it is evident that these vehicles as now made are not suitable for very small or young children, and who have therefore been heretofore obliged to ride on the little kiddie kars as no attempt has been made to suit a foot power automobile to their use.

My invention shown in the accompanying drawings, provides a foot power automobile like vehicle suitable for the very small child and overcomes the dangers above mentioned in having the treadles arranged along the outer sides of an automobile-like body, so that the childs feet when on the treadles in propelling position are never within the body as with the present vehicles.

This construction means that in case of the inevitable upset, the childs feet being al ready on the outside of the body cannot be come entangled within it, but on the contrary, the child automatically spreads its feet to. the floor or pavement thus prevent ing an impending fall.

In the drawings hereto, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my juvenile automobile, Figure 2 a plan view with the steering post broken off, Figure 3 an enlarged plan of a portion of the rear divided axle and showing one of its hearings in one side of the vehicle, and Figure sis an enlarged detail of the split bearingv arm for the treadle crank drive con nection to the rear axle. 1

In furtherrdetail the drawings show the autoniobile like body of the vehicle to be composed oftwo'sides 1 rearwardly diverging as shown in Figure 2. r

The forward ends of the sides are suitably joined andshaped to form a hood portion'2,

and a radiator 3 is secured to the front ends,

while at the rear upper portion the sides carry a seat 4. v

. My invention will work equally well on a three or four wheeled vehicle, but in the embodiment shown'two front wheels 5 are used to support the front of the vehicle and are carried on an axle 5, while a suitable steering wheel 6 mounted on a steering post 6 is arranged in the well known manner, not detailed, for steering the front wheels.

-At the rear end of the automobile-like body is a driving axle 7 carrying at itsextreme endsa pair of rear wheels 8, either one or bothbeing'secured to the axle for driving the vehicle.

The rear axle is supported for rotation by bearings 9 extending through the sides of the vehicle as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and

the axle is preferably divided in the center at 10 so that either piece may be inserted through its bearing from the outside when assembling the vehicle, and after which the pieces of the axle are locked by passing into a tubular split "clamp 11 whichis clamped to the axle by screws 12, the extreme ends of the clamp being rolled inwardly as shown at 13 and entering grooves in the axle so as to locate the assemblage in a longitudinal direction and prevent the axle ends from pulling apart.

Between the rear wheels and the out-side of the body the rear axle is provided with cranks 14 14: for driving the vehicle by means of foot treadles.

The foot treadles ore fashioned from the runboords iii oil the uutoniobile, and in tact COJlStllTLltC the runbourds, and which instead of" being innnovubly secured in place as is customary ere pivotull r suspended at their forward ends at 16 on linlcs ii in turn pivoted at 18 to the hood portion of the body.

The links iiure preferably arched to tail-1e the :iorni of the usual mud guards and they hare side [hinges ii" to posi ion the toe of u childs feet, while the run boards .15 also have u flange l5 alone the inner edge udiucent the body of the vehicle so that 11 childs :r'oot when on the runboard-treudle will not scrape the side oi" the body.

At the reur ends the runbourds are each connected with one of the cranks l t, lei, by an upwardly extending urni l9 having or split hosting 20 ut its upper end engaging the crunlr.

The crunlrs may be set diametrically oppm site to one another or at any nngrle desired, or instead of the crunl: drivi connection to the tr :1 dlcs shon'i'nuny oil the well lrnon'u crank substitutes nurv be employed,

In operation :1 child sits upon the sent it, holds the steering; Wheel 6 and places :1 'l'oot. on each rui'ibourd, prci'tenblj with the toe of the shoe against the curved linlr 17 between the flanges 17 and alternately swings the runbonrds on their link suspension to operate the vehicle through the rrunlr connection described.

It will be seen that no outbourd bearine's are provided :tor the uxle beyond the Clillllutl, for While this could easily be done, chcupness or construction and case oi 2 iinbling re very essential, and since the der to is :tor the use of more bubies I have found that with a substantial axle no outboz d bearing; is required, thus simplifying the construction.

The links or niudguurds 1.? being arched and limited in their forward movement by the throw of the crunlcs, do not interfere with the steering; oi the front wheels, or wheel, as the case may be.

In contcinpluting" U1}? invention it will be seen to provide :1 vehicle huvingr all the clnu-ucteristics of a juvenile uutonuibilc iucludiinre runboards, yet suited to the very small and youngest oi children by adopting the runbourds to the driving ot the rear Wheels and thus inuintuin the :tect of the child on the outside of the body to autonniticully protect it from injurious accidents us above explained.

I claim:

1. A juvenile vehicle comprising an automobile-like body with :1 seat thereon adapted for a child to sit upon, a pair of rear wheels supporting the rear end of the body, a pair of runboerds one to either outer side ol. the body adopted to receive the feet of u child sitting on the scat, solid runbourds being pivotully suspended at their Forward ends each by a link pivoted to the body and to the runboaird and connected at their rear ends to transmit a turning: effort to a rear Wheel upon increment of the runbourds on their link supports by the feet ot the child.

2. A juvenile vehicle comprising an untoinobilc-lilce body adopted to receive it child in sitting position, a rear axle supported in :1 pair of spaced hen rings secured to the body and with :1 pair of road Wheels at the ends thereot outside of the bony, a pair of trcadles outside of the body one to eitherside there of adopted to receive each one foot of the child, suid treudles being supported from the bed; for oscillation at their tor "21rd ends and their reurrmrd ends being arranged to truusinit a turning etlortto the rear axle each at a point between a rear wheel and the outside of one of said beurin s.

3. A juvenile vehicle oi the clnuuctcr dc scribed including a body, a rear axle on the body with a pair of road wheels secured to the ends thereot, said nxle being supported for rotation in spaced beuriiigs on the body, it c'unl: iori'ned on the Mile between each Wheel and its adjacent hearing, und said axle being divided between the hearings and provided with means for securing the ends together.

A juvenile vehicle comprising a body, :1 rear axle on the body with a pair of road wheels at the ends thcreot, said axle being supported for rotation in beoring gs on the body and having :1 crunlr formed adjacent ouch wheel outside ot the bearings, u pair of treudles outside oi. the body one to either side thereol? adapted to receive each one :t'oot oi? the sitting child, said .treudlcs being supported -lroni the body tor oscillation :it their l'orvmrd ends and their rearward ends being urrunged to transmit :1. turning etlmt respcctivcly to one o't the crunhs.

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